The Bernadouze station is located on the site of the Bernadouze peat bog, which has been a biological reserve since 1983. This peat bog, covering an area of 4.7 ha, is situated in the high valley of Vicdessos in the Ariège département, at an altitude of 1343 m. It is a constituent of the Natura 2000 zone « Mont Ceint, Mont Béas, Bernadouze peat bog ».
The climate at this site is montane to subalpine, with substantial snowfalls during the winter season and a mean annual temperature and precipitation of 7.9 ± 0.3°C and 1797 ± 265 mm, respectively.
The environment of the Bernadouze site is currently changing substantially owing to the progressive disappearance of agricultural, pastoral and forestry activities.
Monitoring
Instrumentation of the Bernadouze peatbog site started in 2011 and is continuing in the context of the Bernadouze SEEGMA (Global Ecology Study Site – Anthropised Environments – OHM Pyrenees High Vicdessos-Labex DRIIHM and NOS Peatbogs.
The initial aim of the multidisciplinary study of this site was to gather baseline data on the functioning of the peat bog prior to logging activities on the slopes above the bog scheduled in September 2016. The study has since been pursued to evaluate the impact of logging on the functioning of the peat bog.
Presentation of the Bernadouze Station
The Bernadouze peat bog RENOIR site includes a meteorological station managed by the CESBIO laboratory. This station measures the air temperature and humidity, radiation, rainfall and the depth of snow.